BJP state president Kummanam Rajasekharan turns down NSS invite

This has displeased the NSS leadership though it was thought that being a Nair, Mr Kummanam would try to woo the community.

When this drama is being unfolded, former BJP presidents P. K. Krishnadas and P. S. Sreedharan Pillai were expected to call on NSS general secretary G. Sukumaran Nair at Perunna to hold talks late on Monday night.

Usually, the NSS leadership doesn’t send out invitations to politicians to offer floral tributes at the samadhi of Mannath Padmanabhan on January 1 when the Mannam Jayanthi celebrations are kicked off. But the NSS leadership will seek their availability to attend the celebrations.

A top BJP leader told DC that when the NSS leaders sought Mr Kummanam’s appointment, he expressed his inconvenience to attend the programme much to their displeasure.

“There is a misconception among the NSS leadership that it was Kummanam who played spoilsport between the BJP and NSS leaderships earlier. It was said that Kummanam was being projected as the state BJP president to appease the Nair community which has now turned out to be a false campaign,” said the BJP leader.

But Mr Kummanam told DC that he was yet to decide on his programmes for the New Year.

“I have not yet decided my itinerary from January 1. The next two days are hectic with BJP core committee on Tuesday and the office-bearers’ and the council meetings on Wednesday. Only after these meetings I will finalise my programmes,” he said.